Locations:
SearchWith May being Stroke Awareness Month, do you know the signs and symptoms of a stroke? A neurocritical care specialist breaks down what to look out for.
Cleveland Clinic News Service | 216.444.0141
We’re available to shoot custom interviews & b-roll for media outlets upon request.
CCNS health and medical content is consumer-friendly, professional broadcast quality (available in HD), and available to media outlets each day.
images: 0
video: 0
audio: 0
text: 0
CLICK HERE to download soundbites, B-roll, script and web article.
For download password, contact ccnewsservice@ccf.org.
CLEVELAND - May is Stroke Awareness Month, making it a good time to brush up on the signs and symptoms to look out for.
Every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke, and it’s important to remember that anyone can have one.
“Stroke is not just a disease that affects the elderly. Although the risk of stroke does increase as we get older, stroke can affect people of all ages. Among young adults, we’re seeing an increase in both the incidence and serious complications of stroke,” explained Marc Alain Babi, MD, a neurocritical care specialist for Cleveland Clinic.
If you think someone is having a stroke, Dr. Babi said to remember the acronym BE FAST.
It stands for balance, eyes, face, arm, speech and time.
That means if someone is experiencing balance loss, vision changes, facial drooping, arm weakness or trouble speaking – it's time to call 911.
Dr. Babi said every minute matters when someone’s having a stroke and getting treated quickly is crucial.
It’s also important to remember that there are things we can do now to help prevent a stroke in the future.
“There are modifiable risk factors for stroke that we can control, including managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes as well as not smoking," he said.
Dr. Babi added your genetics also play a role – that’s why you want to review any family history of stroke with your doctor.
